Uchiha Fugaku's name was engraved onto the Cenotaph.
Ninjas without remains, like Obito, would be handled in the same way.
Amaterasu burned everything to ashes, including Uchiha Fugaku himself.
Uchiha Fugaku's mansion was shrouded in an atmosphere of sorrow.
Uchiha Mikoto... Uchiha Fugaku's widow, was dressed in black.
A memorial portrait of her husband was placed in the living room.
Uchiha Itachi, Uchiha Fugaku's son, much younger than Kakashi, was also observing the mourning period for his family.
Kneeling before the memorial portrait, although still young, he understood as much as he could.
At a young age, his father had taken him to the battlefield.
He wasn't a ninja yet, hadn't even entered the Ninja Academy.
This was because Uchiha Fugaku wanted his son to experience... that this was a cruel world.
This was... the reality of the Uchiha clan.
Parents always hope their children won't repeat their mistakes.
From childhood, Uchiha Fugaku entered the Ninja Academy like other children, graduated, and yearned for the title of Hokage...
But he later realized that.
Reality wasn't as simple as he had thought.
The Uchiha clan... although also a member of Konoha, were different from everyone else.
They had more problems to face.
Therefore.
Having taken a wrong path himself, and understanding things too late, he decided to let Itachi experience certain things earlier.
The taciturn Uchiha Fugaku believed the best way to prepare a person was to make them aware of the world's reality as soon as possible.
This contained the painstaking efforts and love of a parent for their child.
But... Uchiha Itachi was still young.
Going to the battlefield too early, seeing the mountain of corpses and sea of blood, would leave a deep psychological scar at his age.
Witnessing his father's death firsthand would affect a person's entire life.
----
Like Nagato, Yahiko, and Konan in the Land of Rain.
Nagato witnessed his parents being killed by Konoha Ninja.
Later, he witnessed Yahiko's death due to Danzo's scheme.
These painful experiences completely changed Nagato, or rather... shaped Nagato into something else.
So, would Uchiha Itachi also follow the path of the original story?
Probably not.
Provided... he could realize the meaning behind his father's death.
Just as Might Duy's self-sacrifice illuminated the path for future generations, eventually allowing Guy to become the most upright ninja.
----
Sarutobi Ryo, as a member of the mourning party, went through the motions like everyone else.
"Please accept my condolences."
After saying the polite words, Sarutobi Ryo stepped aside.
After all, Uchiha Fugaku was a person of status and influence, so naturally many people would come to pay their respects.
Of course, most people were just going through the motions.
"Thank you..."
Uchiha Mikoto returned the greeting, with Itachi bowing alongside her.
After one person after another completed their formalities, the place began to become deserted.
Uchiha Mikoto looked at the empty courtyard and was about to close the door when she suddenly noticed Sarutobi Ryo standing at the entrance, not leaving.
"Young Master Ryo?"
Uchiha Mikoto remembered her husband's last will that Yashiro had brought back.
She also heard from Yashiro about his conversation at Sarutobi Ryo's residence.
Knowing that Sarutobi Ryo had something to say, she invited Sarutobi Ryo into the living room, now without its head.
Returning again, Sarutobi Ryo was accompanied by Yamanaka Hui.
This was a way to avoid suspicion.
After all, Uchiha Mikoto and her family were now orphans and widows.
"Madam Mikoto, I won't bother with pleasantries. You and Senior Fugaku must have deeply understood the situation facing the Uchiha clan..."
Sarutobi Ryo looked at the beautiful woman before him.
Among the people who came to offer condolences, he also saw Kushina.
She felt a deep sorrow for her good sister's misfortune.
Knowing that loss takes time to heal, Kushina, who had once experienced the pain of a nation's destruction, decided to let time soothe her best friend's sorrow.
"Itachi..." Uchiha Mikoto looked at her son, wondering if she should let Itachi hear the following conversation.
"Madam Mikoto, it's alright. My young master has come here this time to discuss the future of the Uchiha clan... Itachi is Senior Fugaku's son, and he should participate in the conversation as a member."
Yamanaka Hui immediately smiled and stopped Uchiha Mikoto from sending her child away.
Uchiha Mikoto was slightly stunned.
She thought, this Young Master Ryo doesn't seem to be treating Itachi as an ordinary child?
"Uchiha Itachi... I heard about your situation from Yashiro-sensei..."
Sarutobi Ryo immediately looked at Uchiha Itachi.
The latter immediately straightened up, his face slightly serious.
This showed the good upbringing of the Uchiha Fugaku family.
And this quality was well-known far and wide.
Even his old father Sarutobi Hiruzen praised the family values of the Uchiha Fugaku family.
"You are not an ordinary child. You are precocious and talented... but such talent is like a piece of uncut jade..."
Next.
Sarutobi Ryo told Uchiha Itachi about Kakashi.
Kakashi was also very proud.
Without experiencing hardship, he took many detours and made many wrong decisions.
It wasn't until Uchiha Obito died in battle that he realized... that talent sometimes meant a burden.
"..."
Uchiha Itachi listened thoughtfully to this analogy.
Of course, he knew the story of Konoha White Fang Senior's son... the genius Hatake Kakashi.
He also knew that Konoha White Fang was the most likely candidate to become the Fourth Hokage.
These were things his father had said many times when he was alive.
Then, Sarutobi Ryo told the story of Might Duy.
Then... he told the story of his guide, Senju Nawaki.
"If you don't have predecessors to guide you, you may very well take the wrong path, just like I did, and Kakashi, and Guy..."
Sarutobi Ryo's continuous examples quickly allowed Itachi to understand.
He realized that, as a child, he did need seniors and elders to constantly guide him so that he could continue to walk on the correct path with the Will of Fire.
"The so-called Will of Fire is to protect important people or things."
Sarutobi Ryo spoke the true meaning of the Will of Fire.
"And in this process... predecessors will illuminate the path for future generations. Many times, predecessors will burn themselves so that future generations can see the road more clearly..."
The so-called Will of Fire, continuously renewed.
That was what it meant.
Senju Nawaki, Might Duy, Uchiha Fugaku... they put this idea into practice with their actions.
"Uchiha Itachi, you must remember that the essence of the Will of Fire is to protect specific people or things, and not the other way around... not to kill or sacrifice specific people and things just for the sake of the Will of Fire in name only..."
Uchiha Mikoto understood Sarutobi Ryo's last emphasized words very well, and she knew that this was an implication.
The Konoha Upper Echelon's Will of Fire was distorted.
But there were still some people, such as her husband, and Senior Duy, Young Master Senju Nawaki and others, who were walking on the correct path.
Uchiha Itachi was thoughtful, digesting these words.
Uchiha Mikoto thought for a while and couldn't help but ask, "Young Master Ryo, do you think... the Uchiha clan has a future?"
Her soft voice was filled with endless melancholy.
Her husband was dead, and the Konoha Higher-ups didn't know what they would do next.
"There will be."
Sarutobi Ryo's mouth curled up, giving her the most definite answer.
"Because... I will be like Senior Nawaki, Senior Duy, Senior Fugaku... and fulfill the Will of Fire!"
I... will eventually become Hokage, inheriting Nawaki's legacy.
And in this process, I will walk forward firmly, never correcting my course, that is my path!
*
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[T/N:
Final Total Power Stone Collection : 153 PS
Goal : Reach +50 Total PS = +2 Bonus Chapters next day! 🚀
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]